In the United States and around the world, the ocean has been managed within isolated industry and species-based sectors. Compounded with increased ocean uses and coastal populations, the fragmented approach to managing the oceans has led to deteriorating health of the marine and coastal environments. In response to the problems caused by fragmented decision-making, many organizations and government agencies are developing initiatives at local to national scales to shift from the sector-based approach into an ecosystem-based management system.
Purpose of the MINOE EBM Tool
This application allows one to explore the how the ocean is managed in the context of his or her ecosystem of choice. The goals of developing this program are to assist generating baseline information about ocean and coastal management. The MINOE tool allows users to investigate what laws may already exist that address important ecosystem linkages, and also identify those ecosystem elements and linkages that are not accounted for in law. By inputting a conceptual ecosystem model or any related topics of interest, the program outputs whether the ecosystem components and associated relationships are acknowledged in laws and regulations. It also assists users find gaps in law, where key relationships in the ecosystem are not explicitly accounted for in law.
Intended Uses for this Application
Questions MINOE can help answer
What agencies are involved?
What laws and/or regulations?
What ecosystem relationships are not accounted for in management?
What agencies could coordinate?
What is the expected user base?
Marine policy scholars
Teaching tool for students (e.g. institutional dimensions of global change, ecosystem-based management, science and policy interface)
Government agency and non-governmental organization personnel, and other ocean stakeholders interested in navigating through ocean and coastal law and regulation